These recommendations are based on a UK National Guideline on the Management of non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU), published by the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) [BASHH, 2007], a primary care guideline published by BASHH and the Royal College of General Practitioners [RCGP and BASHH, 2006], and a European guideline [Shahmanesh et al, 2009].

Partner notification in primary care

• There is expert consensus that if referral to a genito-urinary medicine clinic is not possible, contact tracing should be undertaken in primary care, and this should be documented [Fitzgerald et al, 1996].
• Evidence from the chlamydia screening studies and the National Chlamydia Screening Programme indicates that effective partner notification can be undertaken in primary care, by practice nurses who receive brief training and ongoing support from a health adviser [Low et al, 2006].

Method of partner notification

• A Cochrane systematic review (search date: around 2001) found evidence that both provider and contract methods result in more partners presenting for medical evaluation, compared with patient referral [Mathews et al, 2001].
• However, a recent randomized controlled trial of partner notification in primary care found that practice-based partner notification by trained nurses with telephone follow up by health advisers is at least as effective as referral to a specialist centre [Low et al, 2006].
• Providing a choice of method may help to increase the rate of partner notification.